ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

In will, NYC millionaire leaves $100,000 to 32 cockatiels

NEW YORK

A New York City millionaire who died this summer has bequeathed a $100,000 trust fund to care for her 32 pet cockatiels.

The New York Post reported recently that Leslie Ann Mandel’s will asks that the small parrots continue living in an aviary at her $4 million East Hampton home.

The will names each bird, from Margie and Nicki to Zara and Zack 12.

With Mandel’s stepson as trustee, the fund also will care for a cat named Kiki and a rescue dog named Frosty.

Mandel ran a fundraising firm and amassed a $5.3 million fortune. She died in June at age 69.

Other wills also have provided for pets. Hotel magnate Leona Helmsley left $12 million to her dog, Trouble. A judge trimmed the bequest to $2 million.

Barbershop fined $750 for refusing to cut woman’s hair

WASHINGTON, Pa.

A Pennsylvania barbershop has been fined $750 for refusing to cut a woman’s hair.

Barbiere advertises itself as a high-end gentlemen’s barbershop and offers complimentary beers and spirits. The Washington barbershop was recently fined by the state’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs for gender discrimination.

Owner John Interval told the (Washington) Observer-Reporter the fine “infringes” on his shop’s environment. Interval says, “Guys come here as a kind of a little getaway, to be around other guys.”

The female customer had booked hair appointments online for herself and her boyfriend. She asked for a short haircut known as a wave but was turned away.

Interval says his staff recommended other shops and even offered to pay for a haircut someplace else to compensate for the inconvenience.

Despite 90-degree weather, school district declares snow day

KEYPORT, N.J.

On a day when temperatures surged past 90 degrees in central New Jersey, an electrical problem forced a school district to declare a snow day.

Classes were canceled Tuesday in Keyport because of a malfunctioning component at the district’s elementary school.

Officials cited student safety concerns for their decision, noting the building lacked reliable power. That meant students and staff members were facing a day with no phones, Internet or fire alarms.

Keyport Superintendent Lisa Savoia told the Asbury Park Press the district is logging the unexpected day off as a snow day, two of which are built into its school calendar.

Associated Press